Guest post – 5 Steps to take if your appliance breaks down

Appliances make our lives easier as they help us to save precious time. We may take them for granted, but they play a key role in helping us enjoy life the way we want. They do a lot without requiring too much attention, but they do need proper care and maintenance if we want them to function properly. Unfortunately, this is something we only tend to realise when it is too late. If you do forget to take care of your appliances and they break down as a result, there are a few steps you need to take. Here are 5 of them:

1 Don’t panic

When an appliance stops working in the middle of the week, panicking is the last thing you should be doing. It will only worsen the issue and waste time that you can’t afford to lose. So, think rationally and rule out the obvious reasons for the malfunctioning of the appliance – such as a cord getting unplugged or a fuse blowing. Think about if you’ve had any work done around your house recently, as this can result in appliances tripping due to a fluctuation in the power supply. Finding out the cause is the first step to take and if you are lucky things won’t be as bad as you imagine.

2 Get in touch with an appliance repair expert

Most homeowners do not have all the required tools and skills that are needed to fix complicated appliances and trying to fix them on your own can take a lot of time. An expert will take care of the task quickly and you’ll find that they will do the job more skilfully than you can. To avoid future issues, make sure that you get your appliances repaired by an expert who has experience so that it doesn’t continue to break. Hiring professionals will always be the best option for you because, if you attempt to fix your broken appliance yourself using some shortcuts, the chances are that the appliance will malfunction again in the near future – and you could even do yourself harm in the process. An expert will take care of the repair properly and ensure that the problem does not occur again.

3 Switch off the power or water supply

Depending on the type of appliance you are dealing with, you need to make sure you safely turn off the supply to ensure you don’t get an electric shock when trying to look at. Immediately unplug the device if it is safe or flip the circuit breaker for that section of your home’s power. If gas or water is used to run the appliance, turning them off is the logical first step. This will prevent further damage and also save you from potential risks.

4 Find an alternative

Some appliances are used every day and need to be replaced temporarily by either manual measures or other machinery. For instance, if your washing machine or dishwasher breaks down you can still make do easily for a couple of days by hand-washing the dishes and using laundry services. However, if something as vital as your freezer stops functioning during the middle of summer then it is difficult to find an alternative that would work just as efficiently, so it may need to be replaced quickly (and cheaply) with a secondhand replacement from Gumtree or local noticeboards.

5 Do your research

If you catch the damage in its early stages, you may be able to save on the cost of expensive repairs by researching to see if you can do a quick fix yourself. You can also inform yourself on home safety so that you know what issues to look out for in the future. If you feel that the repair of the malfunctioning appliance is possible without any help then trying a hand at fixing it on your own will do no harm, unless you have no idea about the steps you are taking. If you feel even a little bit incapable or confused then look for some professional help.

I hope that this handy guest post has given you some useful advice in case your appliances malfunction in the future. Please leave me a comment below if you’ve ever had a crucial appliance break down and what you did to solve it.

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Cassie is a freelance writer with a Masters degree in lifestyle
promotion studies. She loves to 'get the look for less' so regularly shares thrifty fashion posts, DIY interior design ideas and low-cost recipes on her blog.

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